tennisdad65
Hall of Fame
I want to see this thread continue
good bump. I love this thread too.
I may go in for a ranch/farm house and build a grass court someday
I want to see this thread continue
good bump. I love this thread too.
I may go in for a ranch/farm house and build a grass court someday
After seeing this thread, I am just curious... How much does the average racquet club member (entire family) spend on court fees/membership/transportation over a lifetime? (playing 3-4 hours a week, for 25-35 years? Anyone have numbers from your own personal experience? Is the cost of building your own court an investment that could actually save you money in the long run?
so your own court (build + maintain) vs. a lifetime of club fees/court time/transportation? Which is higher?
After seeing this thread, I am just curious... How much does the average racquet club member (entire family) spend on court fees/membership/transportation over a lifetime? (playing 3-4 hours a week, for 25-35 years? Anyone have numbers from your own personal experience? Is the cost of building your own court an investment that could actually save you money in the long run?
so your own court (build + maintain) vs. a lifetime of club fees/court time/transportation? Which is higher?
I have a huge long chiken cupe in my backyard use to be a chicken farm where 30 workers worked. dimensions like 30ft wide and long as 300ft. Cement floor nice and smooth sort of. Do you think i could paint lines put up a net and have a ball machine on the other side feeding me balls or my tennis partner. roof is like 8ft and sinking oh the roof we think might leak.
I have a huge long chiken cupe in my backyard use to be a chicken farm where 30 workers worked. dimensions like 30ft wide and long as 300ft. Cement floor nice and smooth sort of. Do you think i could paint lines put up a net and have a ball machine on the other side feeding me balls or my tennis partner. roof is like 8ft and sinking oh the roof we think might leak.
Back in the 'old days', when my mother was growing up in Queensland, despite a serious lack of funds, it seemed as though every other property had a tennis court. All it required was a bit of ingenuity, some hard work and a willingness to take functionality over aesthetics. I see no reason why you couldn't do the same today.
The process they followed was simple. They selected a suitable bit of land, mowed it and then rolled it. As they didn't have a proper roller (some people were able to borrow one from the local cricket club) they apparently used a large petrol drum filled with water. So, as they rolled the court they were also watering it. Fences were made out of chicken wire (still available and very cheap). Nets were made out of whatever they could find and, in one case, an old fence that had been cut down to size was used. I guess they used lime to mark the court.
Mainly they used dirt courts (it being very hot year round in Queensland) but the process was similar. Find a suitable spot, strip it, roll it, mark it and play.
Yes, the bounces wouldn't have been perfect but who cares? I'm sure most of us have, at one time or another, played on courts where the surface hadn't been laid properly, that were cracked or maybe even on a bit of an angle BUT we put up with it because we were just happy to be playing tennis.
If you're interested in the Classic Clay, have a read of equinox's opinion in this thread (post #26) http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?p=626324&highlight=classic#post626324
As he plays mainly on en tous cart (Australian dirt courts), he has a very good base of comparison.
If i had a level peice of land and pored concrete down and then just put a net up and painted lines would that be okay.
why clay? A hard court is probably cheaper.
having a personal tennis court, bet that's a personal dream/goal for many of us on this board.
i would love to have a clay one for indoors, not outdoors. i hate it when weather or daylight gets in the way. roof would be like plastic though to let in sunlight.
anyone know how much that would cost? either way i'm assuming i need to be fairly rich to get enough land for this project... like the other poster, maybe in 15-20 years lol.
Autumn, I've looked into this and you need to consider a couple of things..
First, Indoor Clay (Har-Tru) courts are problematic because in an indoor environment, it tends to get very hard and you have condensation/mold/moisture issues without the ventilation you can only get outdoors. I spoke to an owner of an indoor facility that tried clay and he replaced it within a couple of years.
One solution to the clay is Har-Tru's ClayTech surface. It's actually a textured turf-like carpet and you dress the top with har-tru material. It plays similar to clay, you can slide like clay and it takes very little water to maintain. Downside is it's more $$. You're looking at around $70,000 per court.
For the structure, you nailed it to look at a tensioned-fabric structure. It does allow light through and construction costs are less than a traditional steel structure. Downside there is you need to replace the material every 15 - 20 years or so. Usually costs $12 -16 per square foot, so for a 60x 120 facility, you're looking at around $100,000 to $120,000.
At least reinforce the concrete with a rebar mat. If you don't the slab will crack within weeks.
At least reinforce the concrete with a rebar mat. If you don't the slab will crack within weeks.
Just to be specific, you shouldn't put down actual Concrete. Asphalt is the material that's applied over a base of crushed material. Much cheaper and much more give than Concrete.
Interesting story... my old girlfriend's father made an outdoor court in their backyard and it was GREAT! He was pretty "industrial" and did most of the work himself other than the laying of the concrete. Saved him a bunch of money. Ahh memories.
Grass is very expensive almost as much as a house.
Maybe a tree house.Grass is very expensive almost as much as a house.
Where I come from grass is free bud. :wink:
Maybe a tree house.
What is crack like?profeshinally done grass court and upkeep for the season is around $200,000.
profeshinally done grass court and upkeep for the season is around $200,000.
I Want A Tennis Court In My Backyard :'(
My court cost R140000 ($20000) Building is cheap here... Here it is after a massive hail storm!
I went for the expensive lights ... without them it would have been $14000.
Very nice! It looks like you spent extra for a retaining wall and fencing too.
Very nice! It looks like you spent extra for a retaining wall and fencing too.
I am currently building a new home, and in the process will be adding a hard court in the back yard.
The court construction itself is around 15k for the concrete and surface. The fencing and lighting is around another 15k. The concrete costs so much because you have to do a post tensioned slab, which adds some cost. Post tensioning is essentially like prestressing the concrete to prevent splits from opening up. I am sure the prices vary depending on location and bells and whistles though.
Autumn, I've looked into this and you need to consider a couple of things..
First, Indoor Clay (Har-Tru) courts are problematic because in an indoor environment, it tends to get very hard and you have condensation/mold/moisture issues without the ventilation you can only get outdoors. I spoke to an owner of an indoor facility that tried clay and he replaced it within a couple of years.
One solution to the clay is Har-Tru's ClayTech surface. It's actually a textured turf-like carpet and you dress the top with har-tru material. It plays similar to clay, you can slide like clay and it takes very little water to maintain. Downside is it's more $$. You're looking at around $70,000 per court.
For the structure, you nailed it to look at a tensioned-fabric structure. It does allow light through and construction costs are less than a traditional steel structure. Downside there is you need to replace the material every 15 - 20 years or so. Usually costs $12 -16 per square foot, so for a 60x 120 facility, you're looking at around $100,000 to $120,000.
I am looking for ball park figures per court to lay artifical grass over excisting cracked asphalt courts?
WOW!!
just went through this thread and couldn't believe it!
you bunch of rich people you!
building a personal court...
you have to be close to a millionaire to build and maintain your own court (+ the property itself).
lucky *******s!